Note 1 — BOOK VII.

[Pg 219][1] We have but little record of anything which could be called "assaying" among the Greeks and Romans. The fact, however, that they made constant use of the touchstone (see note 37, p. 252) is sufficient proof that they were able to test the purity of gold and silver. The description of the touchstone by Theophrastus contains several references to "trial" by fire (see note 37, p. 252). They were adepts at metal working, and were therefore familiar with melting metals on a small scale, with the smelting of silver, lead, copper, and tin ores (see note 1, p. 353) and with the parting of silver and lead by cupellation. Consequently, it would not require much of an imaginative flight to conclude that there existed some system of tests of ore and metal values by fire. Apart from the statement of Theophrastus referred to, the first references made to anything which might fill the rôle of assaying are from the Alchemists, particularly Geber (prior to 1300), for they describe methods of solution, precipitation, distillation, fusing in crucibles, cupellation, and of the parting of gold and silver by acid and by sulphur, antimony, or cementation. However, they were not bent on [Pg 220]determining quantitative values, which is the fundamental object of the assayer's art, and all their discussion is shrouded in an obscure cloak of gibberish and attempted mysticism. Nevertheless, therein lies the foundation of many cardinal assay methods, and even of chemistry itself.

The first explicit records of assaying are the anonymous booklets published in German early in the 16th Century under the title Probierbüchlein. Therein the art is disclosed well advanced toward maturity, so far as concerns gold and silver, with some notes on lead and copper. We refer the reader to Appendix B for fuller discussion of these books, but we may repeat here that they are a collection of disconnected recipes lacking in arrangement, the items often repeated, and all apparently the inheritance of wisdom passed from father to son over many generations. It is obviously intended as a sort of reminder to those already skilled in the art, and would be hopeless to a novice. Apart from some notes in Biringuccio (Book III, Chaps. 1 and 2) on assaying gold and silver, there is nothing else prior to De Re Metallica. Agricola was familiar with these works and includes their material in this chapter. The very great advance which his account represents can only be appreciated by comparison, but the exhaustive publication of other works is foreign to the purpose of these notes. Agricola introduces system into the arrangement of his materials, describes implements, and gives a hundred details which are wholly omitted from the previous works, all in a manner which would enable a beginner to learn the art. Furthermore, the assaying of lead, copper, tin, quicksilver, iron, and bismuth, is almost wholly new, together with the whole of the argument and explanations. We would call the attention of students of the history of chemistry to the general oversight of these early 16th Century attempts at analytical chemistry, for in them lie the foundations of that science. The statement sometimes made that Agricola was the first assayer, is false if for no other reason than that science does not develop with such strides at any one human hand. He can, however, fairly be accounted as the author of the first proper text-book upon assaying. Those familiar with the art will be astonished at the small progress made since his time, for in his pages appear most of the reagents and most of the critical operations in the dry analyses of gold, silver, lead, copper, tin, bismuth, quicksilver, and iron of to-day. Further, there will be recognised many of the "kinks" of the art used even yet, such as the method of granulation, duplicate assays, the "assay ton" method of weights, the use of test lead, the introduction of charges in leaf lead, and even the use of beer instead of water to damp bone-ash.

The following table is given of the substances mentioned requiring some comment, and the terms adopted in this book, with notes for convenience in reference. The German terms are either from Agricola's Glossary of De Re Metallica, his Interpretatio, or the German Translation. We have retained the original German spelling. The fifth column refers to the page where more ample notes are given:—

Terms adopted.Latin.German.Remarks.Further Notes.

AlumAlumenAlaunEither potassium or ammonia alump. 564

AmpullaAmpullaKolbA distillation jar

AntimonyStibiumSpiesglasPractically always antimony sulphidep. 428

Aqua valens or aquaAqua valensScheidewasserMostly nitric acidp. 439

ArgolFeces vini siccaeDie weinheffenCrude tartarp. 234

Ash of leadNigrum plumbum cinereum Artificial lead sulphidep. 237

Ash of musk ivy (Salt made from)Sal ex anthyllidis cinere factusSalalkaliMostly potashp. 560

Ashes which wool-dyers useCineres quo infectores lanarum Mostly potashp. 559

AssayVenas expeririProbiren

Assay furnaceFornaculaProbir ofen"Little" furnace

AzureCaeruleumLasurPartly copper carbonate (azurite) partly silicatep. 110

[Pg 221]BismuthPlumbum CinereumWismutBismuthp. 433

BitumenBitumenBergwachs p. 581

Blast furnacePrima fornaxSchmeltzofen

BoraxChrysocolla ex nitro confecta; chrysocolla quam boracem nominantBorras; Tincar p. 560

Burned alumAlumen coctumGesottener alaunProbably dehydrated alump. 565

Cadmia (see note 8, p. 112) (1) Furnace accretions (2) Calamine (3) Zinc blende (4) Cobalt arsenical sulphidesp. 112

CamphorCamphoraCampffer p. 238

Chrysocolla called borax (see borax)

Chrysocolla (copper mineral)ChrysocollaBerggrün und SchifergrünPartly chrysocolla, partly malachitep. 110

Copper filingsAeris scobs elimataKupferfeilichApparently finely divided copper metalp. 233

Copper flowersAeris flosKupferbraunCupric oxidep. 538

Copper scalesAeris squamaeKupfer hammerschlag oder kessel braunProbably cupric oxide

Copper minerals (see note 8, p. 109)

Crucible (triangular)Catillus triangularisDreieckichtschirbeSee illustrationp. 229

CupelCatillus cinereusCapelle

Cupellation furnaceSecunda fornaxTreibherd

FluxAdditamentumZusetze p. 232

Furnace accretionsCadmia fornacumMitlere und obere offenbrüche

GalenaLapis plumbariusGlantzLead sulphidep. 110

Glass-gallRecrementum vitriGlassgallenSkimmings from glass meltingp. 235

Grey antimony or stibiumStibi or stibiumSpiesglasAntimony sulphide, stibnitep. 428

Hearth-leadMolybdaenaHerdpleiThe saturated furnace bottoms from cupellationp. 476

Hoop (iron)Circulus ferreusRingA forge for cruciblesp. 226

Iron filingsFerri scobs elimataEisen feilichMetallic iron

Iron scalesSquamae ferriEisen hammerschlagPartly iron oxide

Iron slagRecrementum ferriSinder

Lead ashCinis plumbi nigriPleiascheArtificial lead sulphidep. 237

Lead granulesGlobuli plumbeiGekornt pleiGranulated lead

Lead ochreOchra plumbariaPleigeelModern massicot (PbO)p. 232

Lees of aqua which separates gold from silverFeces aquarum quae aurum ab argento secernuntScheidewasser heffeUncertainp. 234

Dried lees of vinegarSiccae feces acetiHeffe des essigsArgolp. 234

Dried lees of wineFeces vini siccaeWein heffenArgolp. 234

[Pg 222]LimestoneSaxum calcisKalchstein

LithargeSpuma argentiGlette

LyeLixiviumLauge durch asschen gemachtMostly potashp. 233

MuffleTegulaMuffelLatin, literally "Roof-tile"

OperculumOperculumHelm oder alembickHelmet or cover for a distillation jar

OrpimentAuripigmentumOpermentYellow sulphide of arsenic (As₂S₃)p. 111

PyritesPyritesKisRather a genus of sulphides, than iron pyrite in particularp. 112

Pyrites (Cakes from)Panes ex pyrite conflatiSteinIron or Copper mattep. 350

RealgarSandaracaRosgeelRed sulphide of arsenic (AsS)p. 111

Red leadMiniumMenningPb₃O₄p. 232

Roasted copperAes ustumGebrandt kupfferArtificial copper sulphide (?)p. 233

SaltSalSaltzNaClp. 233

Salt (Rock)Sal fossilisBerg saltzNaClp. 233

Sal artificiosusSal artificiosus A stock flux?p. 236

Sal ammoniacSal ammoniacusSalarmoniacNH₄Clp. 560

SaltpetreHalinitrumSalpeterKNO₃p. 561

Salt (refined)Sal facticius purgatus NaCl

Sal tostusSal tostusGeröst saltzApparently simply heated or melted common saltp. 233

Sal torrefactusSal torrefactusGeröst saltz p. 233

Salt (melted)Sal liquefactusGeflossen saltzMelted salt or salt glassp. 233

ScorifierCatillus fictilisScherbe

SchistSaxum fissileSchifer

Silver minerals (see note 8, p. 108)

SlagRecrementumSchlacken

SodaNitrum Mostly soda from Egypt, Na₂CO₃p. 558

Stones which easily meltLapides qui facile igni liquescuntFlüsQuartz and fluorsparp. 380

SulphurSulfurSchwefel p. 579

TophusTophusTopsteinMarl?p. 233

TouchstoneCoticulaGoldstein

Venetian glassVenetianum vitrum

VerdigrisAerugoGrünspan oder SpanschgrünCopper sub-acetatep. 440

VitriolAtramentum sutoriumKupferwasserMostly FeSO₄p. 572

White schistSaxum fissile albumWeisser schifer p. 234

Weights (see Appendix).